Reality Bytes
by Bettie Sue
Summary: Reality Bytes takes place inside the various worlds of Neopia. It chronicles the adventures of a rogue computer geek who gets sucked into her computer. Making friends, as well as enemies, she tries to find her place in this virtual world.
1. Pwned By Neo

Reality Bytes

Chapter 1 

"Pwned by Neo"

29th Day of Running,Y8

(March 29th of 2006)

I am a zombie. My eyes no longer close. My brain no longer thinks. I am currently employed in a dead-end job and I waste my nights staring at a screen. I like to type but my wrist no longer loves me. The tower is on the floor, the keyboard is on my lap and the monitor is on my kitchen table (I couldn't fit the fridge into my bedroom, so I suppose that is why I moved my bedroom into my kitchen). Convenience suits me.

And so my night begins. As usual, it is uneventful and without purpose. Hours passed quickly. I snapped out of my daze. How long has it been buzzing? I didn't notice it at first but now there was no denying it. An extra page had been opened. I had so many things running that I must have missed it. Fine, let's see what kind of popup this is.

**_Welcome to Neopets_**. What? _**Please** **create an account to join**_. Okay, I'll play. Now what? **_Do you wish to enter?_** Sure.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" I cried out.

My skin was burning. Was I really melting? As this began to happen, the pool of flesh that I now was began to flood the computer screen. I was now in the game. I began to descend. Come to think of it, I had been warned. Did I wish to enter? Who would have imagined that they had meant that literally? I was fucked.

I lay on the floor. I had just begun to regain consciousness, when I heard a voice. "Get out of my way, noob." What's happening? I had fallen flat on my face and the bits of gravel were giving me a hard time. I sat up and held my head. "This has got to be the worst hangover…" I found myself standing in the middle of a street. When I looked up into the night sky I saw that there were two moons. "Where am I?" Was this double vision or insanity? "Neopia Central." I heard someone reply.


	2. Baby Boom

Reality Bytes

Chapter 2 

"Baby Boom"

(…continued from chapter 1)

Not knowing what else to do I began to walk down town. The streets were relatively empty. I walked toward the Neopian Marketplace hoping to find a sympathetic shopkeeper to help me find my way. Was I trapped here? All of these thoughts, the worries, the assumptions, must have made me lose my focus. I felt uneasy. Without delay I turned my head to catch a glimpse of what I thought was an alley cat. It jumped at me! This was no cat. It had yellow eyes and was wrapped in sullied bandages. "THEIF!" I yelled. I struggled with him a bit, but by the time I threw my second punch he had already run away with my money. I tried to run after him but it was to no avail.

I needed to find how to play this game and more importantly how to keep myself alive. I was now lost, fucked over once again. Without any knowledge of this land or its creatures I was done for. I now found myself in the middle of a forest. Deep and dark, it managed to engulf all of the light that tried to enter. I heard rustling from afar, and then came what I thought were footsteps, slow at first. Something was coming and it was getting closer. A giant winged creature flew overhead and as I ducked to get out if its way I saw something. It was now in front of me, more intimidating than the massive bird that I had just seen. It was a monster.

I came face to face with this ghoulish creature. Its red eyes glowed in the darkness, its fangs were long and menacing, it stood tall, wings open and began to creep closer to me. I stepped back. It leaped! BOOM! And in a frenzied rush it took to the sky. What had happened? I tried to follow the beast by ear and then I saw what had saved me. Another creature had attacked it. At this point, I could see them quite clearly; they were not the same species. They were soon thrashing back and forth in the air. I could hear bones break. I ran without hesitation.

I regained my breath. This place was not for the meek. I began to think, have I become pathetic? Why has this place affected me so? This is a game, and like any game, I can conquer it. I began to hear the fighting once again. It was a high-speed battle. The attacks were swift and were getting near me once more. I climbed an odd-shaped tree to catch sight of the brawl. I felt drops of warm blood slowly begin to cool as they hit my face. And with a giant thud I heard one of them crash through the treetops. The larger of the two took off into the night. I scaled down the tree to get to the injured creature.

I finally arrived at the marketplace and was greeted by a woman who called herself the Soup Faerie. "Welcome to the Soup Kitchen. Would you like something to eat? My cauldron is always full for those who need a helping hand." I was tired and all I wanted was a safe place to crash for the night. I began to tell her my story and as I spoke even I could not believe what I was saying. She was composed and polite. I was a mess. I soon found out that the bandaged pickpocket was a ghost. They were common here and that it was best for me to keep my neopoints in the bank. I was down to 120 neopoints already. How much longer could I stay here? "You must have found the Haunted Woods. It isn't a good idea to go there after nightfall. I'm glad that you are now safe." She smiled and I felt at ease.

My white t-shirt was torn and bloodied. "Can I see him?" she asked me. The lifeless body of the neopet that I had scooped up and carried was wrapped in my jacket. I began to unwrap the small bundle. He was smaller than what I had imagined. "It must have been a Halloween Meerca, by what you described. The Woods are full of naughty neopets. Now, let me have a look at this little guy. He is a Baby Korbat." She paused. "Poor thing..." She sighed. "He'll be alright, but you should take him the Neopian Hospital. But seeing that you have no money I suggest you visit the Healing Springs instead. It may be a long walk, you will need to hurry." She quickly fed the small pet and walked me to the door.

In order to reach the Healing Springs in Faerieland I needed to cross a large body of water. I walked towards the nearest shoreline. I looked down at the poor creature, his body was limp but still warm. He looked very much like a bat. He had white fur underneath the dry blood, and I could see his little wings though badly injured. I was walking towards Kiko Lake when I was blissfully interrupted. I was transported to Faerieland by the Neopian Faeries. I was standing atop of the clouds overlooking all of Neopia. They must have seen me from up here, I thought to myself. I found the Healing Springs right away. A Water Faerie welcomed me, "Have you come to heal your pets?" I took him from my arms and handed his body to the faerie. "Yes." She looked at me and replied, "It may take a few tries but he should be healed by tonight."

Did he now belong to me? Was he my responsibility? He did save my life and he is so young, I couldn't just leave him. I was glad to have a new friend, even if he was unconscious. What should I name him? For such a small neopet this baby sure made a big boom. He was fearless, and from this point on, so was I. Uncertainty would not get the best of me. My body was worn-out and exhausted. I hadn't noticed that the sun had already risen. I hadn't slept and I didn't intend to, but being stubborn alone does not give you willpower. After a few minutes I was out cold.


	3. The Day After

**Reality Bytes**

**Chapter 3 **

"**The Day After"**

30th Day of Running,Y8

(March 30th of 2006)

As I began to focus my eyes my memory began to catch up with me. "Not this shit again." The best sleep I have ever had just happened to end up being on a cloud, how cliché? My body ached, my head spun and the adrenaline from last nights encounter had stopped. It was time to assess the damage done. As I gave my self a quick once over, I noticed my new little friend start to creep up to me, its big blue eyes gleaming. He smiled and I could see his tiny fangs. "Hi." I spoke to it, "…now what?" I could now see the Water Faerie's true self. The tail through me off at first but I could now see what type of being she actually was. How odd. "A Mermaid?" I hadn't meant to say it out loud. She gave me a strange look. "Hello, Bettie Sue." How did she know my name? "I am a Water Faerie." She smirked. "Neopia is full of many different beings. You will come to meet them with time." She began to explain how the world was structured. She let me know where I would be welcomed and where I would be harassed. After I had a general understanding of this new world I was politely asked to leave. The Healing Springs was very busy.

I noticed a difference today. At night there were far less people and now the streets were flooded. I could see that the Baby Korbat was doing much better. As I walked, he hovered behind me. I stopped suddenly and turned around. "Do you intend on following me wherever I go? If you do, I'll need to know your name." I paused. "Do you have a name?" It looked at me blankly. I sighed deeply. "Okay, then I'll call you Little Rocky Horror. Do you like it?" He nodded. At the very least I knew that he had understood me and that was all I needed to know for now. We traveled back to Neopia Central. It was overpopulated but it was also the best place to start out. I even met a few newbies there. I felt more comfortable and I was more eager to explore.

I stood in front of a massive tree. "What's all this about?" Everyone was hurring about, some with arms full of items and others trying to move their way deeper into the commotion. "The Money Tree." I heard someone yell at me as they made their way to the tree's overgrown roots. I now understood. I tried my luck at it, nothing. I tried again, out of luck. I was too late someone else had already taken the item I was grasping for. Most of what was there were useless items, others were not and those were the ones being the taken the quickest. I managed to position myself in front of the tree. I tried once more, success! I took my item and began to make my way through the crowd. It had taken me a few tries but I had finally picked up a t-shirt which I had so badly needed. I began to unfold the gift, it read: "I Survived the Haunted Woods" How ironic.

I tore off my bloodied T and threw on the new one that I had just found. I made my way to the Neopian Bank and setup a bank account. The ghost had stolen 80 of my neopoints and I was now looking for a way to earn money. I decided to look for work. I entered a shop to ask if they were hiring. "No, I'm sorry the Petpet Shop already has a shopkeeper. We're not looking to hire anyone right now." I was surprised to see who spoke. It was a neopet. She looked a bit like a squirrel with her golden colored fur. She had two rather large ears which stuck straight up into the air and a long tail which curled up into itself. This was an Usul, which I soon later found out. As I was about to leave I met a woman. She introduced me to herself as Mad old Mrs. Williams. We began to talk a bit and she told me she was looking for some help. She needed someone to keep an eye on her Petpets while she was away. I agreed.

I followed her to where she lived. "This is my Neohome, please make yourself comfortable." She left the room and I sat down on an oversized couch. Her home was small and well kept. She came back with a few small creatures. These were not much different than regular neopets but I could tell that there was a slight difference. I tried to speak to one, but it replied in gibberish. "Petpets are not good at conversation. All they do is act like fools and utter nonsense. These are not attached to pets yet so they may be a handful." I was confused yet again. "Attached?" I asked. "Yes. Petpets come in a variety of species similar to the Neopets. What a Neopet is to you, a Petpet is to your Neopet." I now felt guilty for not having one for my new Neopet. "So they're pets _for_ your Neopets?" She gave a quick chuckle and left the house.


	4. Petpet Sitter

Hi, boys and ghouls. It's me, Bettie. Feel free to comment and ask questions. I'm a big fan of Neo and I didn't want to make a story about two Unis dancing in a meadow. Show me some love and I'll reply as soon as I can (trust me, I'll reply so fast you'll think I have no life… seriously.)

**Reality Bytes**

**Chapter 4 **

"**Petpet Sitter"**

31st Day of Running,Y8

(March 31st of 2006)

What have I gotten myself into? I sat there, thinking to myself, mumbling in my mind. I turned to Rocky Horror, "So, you're a Neopet, right?" He looked at me and continued to smile. I felt a sharp pain in my left foot. "Fuck!" One of these brats bit me. I kicked it aside. It hissed at me. I looked at my Baby Korbat, "And these are called Petpets?" Rocky Horror giggled and did a quick somersault in the air. I sighed, "Great." I picked up the Petpet that had just bit me by the tail. "No, wonder… you're a snake. Okay… off you go." I put him down and began my job as a Petpet sitter.

After my _long _day, Ms. Williams finally came home to find the house in shambles. "Lovely." She looked up at me. I stared at her blankly not knowing what to say. "Aw, Newbies. No need to worry. You've done better than most of the previous sitters. Here is your pay." I took a step closer and she handed me the neopoints. "If you don't mind, I will me needing help tomorrow." She grinned. "Sure" I replied. The pay was good so I had no complaints.

As I began to gather my things she put her hand on my shoulder. "Where are you staying?" I was caught off guard. I hadn't thought about it. I was homeless. "No where." I replied. "Then I suggest you stay in my guestroom." I nodded. I felt grateful, having her offer me a place to sleep but the feeling soon changed. Little did I know that the guestroom would be infested with Petpets. As I lay there I felt the warm breath of a petpet who exhaled deeply in my face. Ew, Puppyblew breath. ((sigh))


	5. Home Sweet Home

**Reality Bytes**

**Chapter 5**

"**Home Sweet Home"**

27th Day of Eating,Y8

(April 27th of 2006)

After helping Mrs. Williams for a few weeks I had finally saved up enough money to buy some land. I was working a few odd jobs in order to have enough to be able to move into the Darigan Citadel. I had noticed an island floating above Meridell. I had traveled to Meridell earlier to harvest berries as an errand and saw Darigan Citadel hovering above me. It is ruled by the (once evil) Lord Darigan. I had spent my excess time learning about the history of Neopia. I was most intrigued by the Gallery of Evil. I have always had a soft spot for the bad guys. ((swoons))

We were ready to start our new lives. We packed up (even though there wasn't much to pack) and traveled to Darigan Citadel. I applied for a plot of land. The price to build my neohome was more than I had anticipated and my funds were now depleted. All I could afford were two rooms, a bathroom and a bedroom, which were now under construction. Rocky Horror and I decided to explore the citadel. Atop this land, the most obvious landmark was Lord Darigan's Chambers. A vast castle, dark and mysterious, it takes up most of the surrounding land. Its towers are intricate and the walls are massive. We walked passed the entrance and did not even consider setting foot in it.

The construction was coming to an end and it was almost time to move in. We had been waiting eagerly. I had even picked up a toy at "Darigan Toys" the local toy shop for Little Rocky Horror. As he occupied himself with the new toy I thought to myself, "I suppose _this_ is my new home. My new life…" I was leaving behind my past and looking forward to the many adventures that were ahead of me. We sat there watching our home being built. We waited and I grew tired… again I fell asleep.


End file.
